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The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis
Nearly everything important in twelve-year-old Gabriella’s life that summer of 1957 can be traced to the river. On the North Carolina military base where she lives, she meets the African-American Marine Hawkins by the river’s brown-green water. When her father, the general, treats her as if she doesn’t exist, Gabriella’s determined to show him she’s good at something: she’ll learn to swim. And it’s the river with its mysterious worlds that leads to her mother.
At the river, Gabriella discovers Hawkins is far more than a servant in the kitchen of her father’s quarters. He becomes her swim coach and a person she can talk with—even about the tragedy of the youth Emmett Till. The fourteen-year-old was lynched two years earlier, his body thrown into Mississippi’s Tallahatchie river. But this river, her river, isn’t a place of death. Emmett’s spirit is alive in its waters. It’s a place of magic.
At the river Hawkins helps her find her strength. Emmett helps her find her heart.
Emmett had been murdered for whistling at a white woman. Could her friendship with Hawkins endanger the tough Marine? It doesn’t seem possible. Until a sudden storm on the river changes Gabriella’s life—forever.
At the river, Gabriella discovers Hawkins is far more than a servant in the kitchen of her father’s quarters. He becomes her swim coach and a person she can talk with—even about the tragedy of the youth Emmett Till. The fourteen-year-old was lynched two years earlier, his body thrown into Mississippi’s Tallahatchie river. But this river, her river, isn’t a place of death. Emmett’s spirit is alive in its waters. It’s a place of magic.
At the river Hawkins helps her find her strength. Emmett helps her find her heart.
Emmett had been murdered for whistling at a white woman. Could her friendship with Hawkins endanger the tough Marine? It doesn’t seem possible. Until a sudden storm on the river changes Gabriella’s life—forever.
155 pages, ebook
First published March 14, 2012
35 people are currently reading
933 people want to read
About the author
Elle Thornton
2 books57 followersMy background as the daughter of a career Marine and my professional experience as a newspaper reporter (Massachusetts, Hawaii and Kansas), technical writer, and instructor in freshman English have helped me write two books: my debut mystery, Touch the Dead, and an earlier work, The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis (YA, historical fiction).
Touch the Dead amazon.com/dp/B096W654KW is both a love story and a murder mystery. It unfolds in the steamy Florida summer of 2016. The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis amazon.com/dp/B007P73QPC is set on a military base in the segregated South of 1957.
In writing both books, I have made friends in the reading and writing communities. They have educated and inspired me, guided me on my journey and given me a needed focus. They have helped me become the writer my heart has urged me to be since I was a child. I thank them all.
Touch the Dead amazon.com/dp/B096W654KW is both a love story and a murder mystery. It unfolds in the steamy Florida summer of 2016. The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis amazon.com/dp/B007P73QPC is set on a military base in the segregated South of 1957.
In writing both books, I have made friends in the reading and writing communities. They have educated and inspired me, guided me on my journey and given me a needed focus. They have helped me become the writer my heart has urged me to be since I was a child. I thank them all.
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May 20, 2013
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis: Elle Thornton's Novel Keeping the Spirit of Emmett Till Alive
DO YOU KNOW THIS YOUNG MAN?
I did not. Not until college. I grew up in a segregated South. The only blacks I knew were the housekeepers who helped raise me. They were the most important women in my life aside from my Mother and Grandmother. I was taught to call them "Ma'am."
This young man is Emmett Till. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, July 21, 1941, the son of Mamie and Louis Till. In the summer of 1955, he visited relatives in the small town of Money, Mississippi. On August 28, 1955, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, two white men, kidnapped young Emmett Till from his great Uncle's house, beat and shot him to death, and threw his body into the Tallahatchie River weighted down with a cotton gin fan motor tied to his neck with barbed wire. The reason? Emmett Till allegedly whistled at Roy's wife Carolyn at their Bryant Grocery.
Scene of the infamous wolf whistle
As most criminals, Bryant and Milam didn't know that it would take a substantially greater weight to keep a body submerged. Three days later, Emmett Till's unrecognizable body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River.
Mamie Till made a startling and bold decision. She had her son's body shipped home to Chicago and insisted on an open casket ceremony. Over fifty thousand Chicago residents paid their respects to Emmett Till and his family.
Mamie Till did not stop with the open casket ceremony. She allowed Jet Magazine to cover the story of her son's murder, including photographs of the decomposed face of her young son in their magazine. The story and the shocking photographs appeared in the September 15, 1955, issue of Jet. And it was a story that shocked and horrified a nation.
A spoiler alert is posted here because of the graphic nature of the photographs hidden herein.
The injustice of the murder of Emmett Till continued. Bryant and Milam were tried for Emmett Till's murder. They were acquitted.
Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam on trial
Subsequently Alabama author William Bradford Huie interviewed the killers. They brazenly admitted their crime. Double Jeopardy prevented retrial for their heinous offense. At that time no such thing as a Federal 1983 Action for Violation of the Civil Rights of an Individual existed. These two killers got away with murder to brag about it.
Look Magazine, January 24, 1956
The Significance of the Story of Emmett Till
Every movement has its martyrs. The Civil Rights Movement has many. However, the murder of Emmett Till was the flashpoint of the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955.
Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., 1955
Woolworth's, Greensboro, North Carolina, February 1, 1960
Would it have happened but for the murder of Emmett Till?
The Significance of Elle Thornton's Novel
Today it is amazing that the story of Emmett Till has faded from memory. Howard University Students studying the Greensboro Four indicated that the class did not address that the motivation of that initial confrontation came about as a result of the acquittal of Emmett Till's killers. One student, bemoaning the fact that black american students did not know about Emmett Till authored a play, "Mississippi Mourning," to raise awareness. The play celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the famed sit-in at that Woolworth's lunch counter.
Two weeks prior to the play's premier, the writer and other members of the cast began receiving threats--death threats. The murder of Emmett Till remains a national shame that some would rather remain buried in the past.
Comparisons between the Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till resulted in thousands of Tweets asking "Who is Emmett Till?"
The latest controversy surrounds Pepsi severing its relationship with rapper Lil Wayne over his inflammatory remarks regarding Emmett Till's "beat that pussy." Lil Wayne has suffered the condemnation of numerous black musicians and surviving members of Emmett Tills family. Wayne's apology to the Till family has not been accepted as not being sincere.
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis keeps the story of Emmett Till alive. Elle Thornton has written a novel that accomplishes its task with memorable characters, a quickly moving plot, and a painfully accurate portrait of prejudice and intolerance in the South of 1957.
This is an important book. It is written for the young adult audience, an audience that has not yet been exposed to novels such as Gathering of Waters by Bernice L. McFadden or Wolf Whistle by Lewis Nordan. Yet, it stands on the same level as those two novels, because of the unique perspective of its protagonist Gabriella Winter, a young girl, twelve going on thirteen, who has an eye for what is fair, right, and just.
The Story
It is summer, 1957. Gabriella Winter has returned from St. Agatha's Boarding School to a Marine Corp base in North Carolina. Her father is the Commanding General. Gabriella should be the Queen Bee of the base. However, her mother, Maria is not on station. There is no flock of Officers' wives making the Winter household the center of social activity. Rather, Gabriella is the object of other Officers' daughters' hand me downs.
The absence of Mrs. General Winter leads Gabriella's father to have Hawkins, a black Marine, assigned to the family as a steward. Hawkins face is scarred. The Korean Conflict Combat ribbons on his Dress Blues account for the General's trust and respect for this man. Hawkins will become Gabriella's friend and guardian angel.
Throughout the novel, Thornton weaves the story of Emmett Till, whose story Gabriella has learned only a part at her Boarding School. Gabriella will face racism in forms subtle to outrageously alert.
At the Officer's Club Pool the appearance of a lithe, muscular, black Officer clears the pool as quickly as if the lifeguard had announced an approaching thunderstorm. Two white officers laugh over the ignorance of "that Emmett Till boy" who didn't know any better than to flirt with a white woman.
Gabriella asks her father if he has heard the name Emmett Till. The General resoundingly tells her she is too young to know the brutality of the world, that she is too young to even understand it.
Much to the General's surprise, Gabriella responds, "I'm too old to be as ignorant as I am." The General softens.
As summer passes, Hawkins will teach Gabriella to swim. Gabriella will learn the full story of the injustice of Emmett Till's murder from Doyle, a boy slightly older than her, who will tell her of Emmett's murderers' acquittal.
Has it not always been the case that times change as a result of the manner in which the world is perceived through the eyes of the young? Doyle is learning the Blues from other black Stewards on the base. His first song is the Willie Brown classic from 1926, "Dirty and Ragged." Bob Dylan later covered Brown's classic updating the lyrics. But this small vignette is a hopeful sign that the times are indeed a' changin'.
But not changed. Gabriella sits with Eula Mae Perkins, the aged mother of Colonel Perkins. Eula Mae whispers of Jonas and Star. Eula Mae tells her that Jonas was her black play companion in her youth. Star was the pony they rode. The Colonel insists to Gabriella that his mother has an overactive imagination and she is not to speak of his mother's stories outside the house.
Believing her mother to be in the town across the river from the base, Gabriella borrows a rowboat. She crosses the river. She observes black children swimming and playing in the distance. She considers that the spirit of Emmett Till watches over them all. To her, she is on a quest for a hidden place as mysterious as Atlantis.
Gabriella does find her mother. However, I will not tell you her precise whereabouts or the reason for her presence there. Read the book. Actually the Mantra for each paragraph of this review should be READ THE BOOK.
Returning to the riverbank, Gabriella discovers the rowboat has drifted away. She is stranded and lost. She finds herself at Sharky's, a black juke joint, seafood and barbecue shack. Sharky is nobody's fool. No white girl has business being in his place in the day time much less at night. He parks Gabriella at a table in the kitchen, surrounds her with crab cakes, french fries, and other delicacies, telling her he'll call someone to pick her up.
Obviously, Gabriella and Hawkins' reputation have preceded them. It's Hawkins that shows up to take his charge back to base. The wail of a siren and flashing lights cause Hawkins to pull over. A North Carolina Sheriff catching a black man with a white girl in his car after dark is a prime reason to make a stop.
This time it's Gabriella who rescues Hawkins. Identifying herself as the Generals daughter, she tells the Sheriff Hawkins is her father's most trusted aide. The Sheriff eyeing the combat ribbons and medals on Hawkins' uniform jacket hanging at the window in the back seat let's them go about their way.
The encounter causes Gabriella to realize that her friendship with Hawkins endangers him, perhaps even more than Emmett's ill-fated whistle. As the summer wanes Gabriella continues to think of Emmett, thinking of his smiling face, his mischievous eyes.
The novel culminates in a spiritual meeting between Gabriella and Emmett. READ THE BOOK.
Gabriella wants to stay with EMMETT. READ THE BOOK.
Emmett tells Gabriella she must give to others on earth. READ THE BOOK.
Gabriella realizes Hawkins is the man Emmett might have grown up to be. I couldn't agree more.
The Long Journey of The Girl Who Swam To Atlantis
I first became acquainted with Elle Thornton as a member of goodreads group "On the Southern Literary Trail." I founded the group in February, 2012. Recently, in an effort to give new voices in Southern Literature an opportunity to find a venue for their work, I broadcast a message to all authors offering them the opportunity to offer copies of their work to group members in monthly giveaways. Elle Thornton was our second giveaway author.
Elle Thornton was awarded the Florida Writers Association for Young Adult Fiction in Prepublication Form in 2009. Elle obtained a literary agent. The book was shopped to six major publishing houses. Random House was a near deal. But it was not to be.
Although Elle and I have not personally met, nor talked on the phone, we have communicated a great deal about this book by what some call e-mail. I prefer to still call them letters. Letter writing is a dying art. Between tweets, texts, and shot e-mails, many are losing the ability to communicate via paper, be it electronic, or pulp. Elle is another of those who has not lost the art of letter writing.
Not only does she write a beautiful letter, she wrote a beautiful and lyrical book. I frequently become frustrated at publishing houses whose primary interest is only putting before the public what sells. Well, of course, I realize money is what makes the world go around.
The point remains that books never reach the public for fear the subject matter won't sell. I've given a great deal of thought to Elle Thornton's novel. I've given a great deal of thought to what sells in the field of Y/A literature today. These are the conclusions I have have reached. John Green is a Y/A God. It seems to me that Y/A has become a genre of what's happening now. Is it new. Is it relevant? Don't get me wrong. I like Green. I like Jay Asher. Each of their subject matters needs to be addressed. However, issues raised in novels such as Elle Thornton's do as well.
Anyone who thinks racism in this country is dead is a fool. In some ways it has become more subtle. In other ways, it is treated as matters deserving of legislation. Are not strict immigration laws a form of racism? Aren't we scared of any person with a middle eastern appearance? And how politely we hide our heads on questions of gender identity.
Keeping the spirit of Emmett Till alive today remains as important as it was during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. Don't think there are those who still have no need for Civil Rights.
I admire authors who throw themselves into a work, play by all the rules, go through the hoops of Publishing Houses and face rejection. I admire those who have the courage to edit and re-edit and publish their own works.
I have read many a book published by a major publishing house I didn't even shelve. However, it sold, by God. The Folks who put out the Fifty Shades trilogy should be real proud of themselves.
The Folks who turned down a thoughtful Y/A novel must not think today's kids are as smart as they are. Of course, our schools are all aflutter over testing scores. It the question ain't on the test, it doesn't need to be taught, right?
This is a book teachers should read. Particularly school librarians should read it. This is a book that should be on every junior high school and high school library shelf.
One last thought. If Hawkins is the man Emmett Till might have grown up to be, perhaps Gabriella Winter grew up to be Elle Thornton.
Soundtrack and References
Precious Lord Take My Hand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as1rsZ...
The Ballad of Emmett Till http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ_ZnG...
We Shall Over Come, Speech by MLK, Jr. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as1rsZ...
The Murder of Emmett Till, American Experience, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9E7aW...
The Untold Story of Emmett Till http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=r9E7aWLq30Y
Rosa Parks, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15p5HB...
The Greensboro Four http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbbcjn...
We Shall Overcome, Mahalia Jackson, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmR1Yv...
Update: May 20, 2013: also posted by the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emmett...
DO YOU KNOW THIS YOUNG MAN?
I did not. Not until college. I grew up in a segregated South. The only blacks I knew were the housekeepers who helped raise me. They were the most important women in my life aside from my Mother and Grandmother. I was taught to call them "Ma'am."
This young man is Emmett Till. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, July 21, 1941, the son of Mamie and Louis Till. In the summer of 1955, he visited relatives in the small town of Money, Mississippi. On August 28, 1955, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, two white men, kidnapped young Emmett Till from his great Uncle's house, beat and shot him to death, and threw his body into the Tallahatchie River weighted down with a cotton gin fan motor tied to his neck with barbed wire. The reason? Emmett Till allegedly whistled at Roy's wife Carolyn at their Bryant Grocery.
Scene of the infamous wolf whistle
As most criminals, Bryant and Milam didn't know that it would take a substantially greater weight to keep a body submerged. Three days later, Emmett Till's unrecognizable body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River.
Mamie Till made a startling and bold decision. She had her son's body shipped home to Chicago and insisted on an open casket ceremony. Over fifty thousand Chicago residents paid their respects to Emmett Till and his family.
Mamie Till did not stop with the open casket ceremony. She allowed Jet Magazine to cover the story of her son's murder, including photographs of the decomposed face of her young son in their magazine. The story and the shocking photographs appeared in the September 15, 1955, issue of Jet. And it was a story that shocked and horrified a nation.
A spoiler alert is posted here because of the graphic nature of the photographs hidden herein.
The injustice of the murder of Emmett Till continued. Bryant and Milam were tried for Emmett Till's murder. They were acquitted.
Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam on trial
Subsequently Alabama author William Bradford Huie interviewed the killers. They brazenly admitted their crime. Double Jeopardy prevented retrial for their heinous offense. At that time no such thing as a Federal 1983 Action for Violation of the Civil Rights of an Individual existed. These two killers got away with murder to brag about it.
Look Magazine, January 24, 1956
The Significance of the Story of Emmett Till
Every movement has its martyrs. The Civil Rights Movement has many. However, the murder of Emmett Till was the flashpoint of the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955.
Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., 1955
Woolworth's, Greensboro, North Carolina, February 1, 1960
Would it have happened but for the murder of Emmett Till?
The Significance of Elle Thornton's Novel
Today it is amazing that the story of Emmett Till has faded from memory. Howard University Students studying the Greensboro Four indicated that the class did not address that the motivation of that initial confrontation came about as a result of the acquittal of Emmett Till's killers. One student, bemoaning the fact that black american students did not know about Emmett Till authored a play, "Mississippi Mourning," to raise awareness. The play celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the famed sit-in at that Woolworth's lunch counter.
Two weeks prior to the play's premier, the writer and other members of the cast began receiving threats--death threats. The murder of Emmett Till remains a national shame that some would rather remain buried in the past.
Comparisons between the Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till resulted in thousands of Tweets asking "Who is Emmett Till?"
The latest controversy surrounds Pepsi severing its relationship with rapper Lil Wayne over his inflammatory remarks regarding Emmett Till's "beat that pussy." Lil Wayne has suffered the condemnation of numerous black musicians and surviving members of Emmett Tills family. Wayne's apology to the Till family has not been accepted as not being sincere.
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis keeps the story of Emmett Till alive. Elle Thornton has written a novel that accomplishes its task with memorable characters, a quickly moving plot, and a painfully accurate portrait of prejudice and intolerance in the South of 1957.
This is an important book. It is written for the young adult audience, an audience that has not yet been exposed to novels such as Gathering of Waters by Bernice L. McFadden or Wolf Whistle by Lewis Nordan. Yet, it stands on the same level as those two novels, because of the unique perspective of its protagonist Gabriella Winter, a young girl, twelve going on thirteen, who has an eye for what is fair, right, and just.
The Story
It is summer, 1957. Gabriella Winter has returned from St. Agatha's Boarding School to a Marine Corp base in North Carolina. Her father is the Commanding General. Gabriella should be the Queen Bee of the base. However, her mother, Maria is not on station. There is no flock of Officers' wives making the Winter household the center of social activity. Rather, Gabriella is the object of other Officers' daughters' hand me downs.
The absence of Mrs. General Winter leads Gabriella's father to have Hawkins, a black Marine, assigned to the family as a steward. Hawkins face is scarred. The Korean Conflict Combat ribbons on his Dress Blues account for the General's trust and respect for this man. Hawkins will become Gabriella's friend and guardian angel.
Throughout the novel, Thornton weaves the story of Emmett Till, whose story Gabriella has learned only a part at her Boarding School. Gabriella will face racism in forms subtle to outrageously alert.
At the Officer's Club Pool the appearance of a lithe, muscular, black Officer clears the pool as quickly as if the lifeguard had announced an approaching thunderstorm. Two white officers laugh over the ignorance of "that Emmett Till boy" who didn't know any better than to flirt with a white woman.
Gabriella asks her father if he has heard the name Emmett Till. The General resoundingly tells her she is too young to know the brutality of the world, that she is too young to even understand it.
Much to the General's surprise, Gabriella responds, "I'm too old to be as ignorant as I am." The General softens.
"Nowadays in the Marines, all men, whether they are colored or white, live, train, and fight together. They die together fighting the enemy. Remember that, Gabriella."
As summer passes, Hawkins will teach Gabriella to swim. Gabriella will learn the full story of the injustice of Emmett Till's murder from Doyle, a boy slightly older than her, who will tell her of Emmett's murderers' acquittal.
Has it not always been the case that times change as a result of the manner in which the world is perceived through the eyes of the young? Doyle is learning the Blues from other black Stewards on the base. His first song is the Willie Brown classic from 1926, "Dirty and Ragged." Bob Dylan later covered Brown's classic updating the lyrics. But this small vignette is a hopeful sign that the times are indeed a' changin'.
But not changed. Gabriella sits with Eula Mae Perkins, the aged mother of Colonel Perkins. Eula Mae whispers of Jonas and Star. Eula Mae tells her that Jonas was her black play companion in her youth. Star was the pony they rode. The Colonel insists to Gabriella that his mother has an overactive imagination and she is not to speak of his mother's stories outside the house.
Believing her mother to be in the town across the river from the base, Gabriella borrows a rowboat. She crosses the river. She observes black children swimming and playing in the distance. She considers that the spirit of Emmett Till watches over them all. To her, she is on a quest for a hidden place as mysterious as Atlantis.
Gabriella does find her mother. However, I will not tell you her precise whereabouts or the reason for her presence there. Read the book. Actually the Mantra for each paragraph of this review should be READ THE BOOK.
Returning to the riverbank, Gabriella discovers the rowboat has drifted away. She is stranded and lost. She finds herself at Sharky's, a black juke joint, seafood and barbecue shack. Sharky is nobody's fool. No white girl has business being in his place in the day time much less at night. He parks Gabriella at a table in the kitchen, surrounds her with crab cakes, french fries, and other delicacies, telling her he'll call someone to pick her up.
Obviously, Gabriella and Hawkins' reputation have preceded them. It's Hawkins that shows up to take his charge back to base. The wail of a siren and flashing lights cause Hawkins to pull over. A North Carolina Sheriff catching a black man with a white girl in his car after dark is a prime reason to make a stop.
This time it's Gabriella who rescues Hawkins. Identifying herself as the Generals daughter, she tells the Sheriff Hawkins is her father's most trusted aide. The Sheriff eyeing the combat ribbons and medals on Hawkins' uniform jacket hanging at the window in the back seat let's them go about their way.
The encounter causes Gabriella to realize that her friendship with Hawkins endangers him, perhaps even more than Emmett's ill-fated whistle. As the summer wanes Gabriella continues to think of Emmett, thinking of his smiling face, his mischievous eyes.
The novel culminates in a spiritual meeting between Gabriella and Emmett. READ THE BOOK.
Gabriella wants to stay with EMMETT. READ THE BOOK.
Emmett tells Gabriella she must give to others on earth. READ THE BOOK.
Gabriella realizes Hawkins is the man Emmett might have grown up to be. I couldn't agree more.
The Long Journey of The Girl Who Swam To Atlantis
I first became acquainted with Elle Thornton as a member of goodreads group "On the Southern Literary Trail." I founded the group in February, 2012. Recently, in an effort to give new voices in Southern Literature an opportunity to find a venue for their work, I broadcast a message to all authors offering them the opportunity to offer copies of their work to group members in monthly giveaways. Elle Thornton was our second giveaway author.
Elle Thornton was awarded the Florida Writers Association for Young Adult Fiction in Prepublication Form in 2009. Elle obtained a literary agent. The book was shopped to six major publishing houses. Random House was a near deal. But it was not to be.
Although Elle and I have not personally met, nor talked on the phone, we have communicated a great deal about this book by what some call e-mail. I prefer to still call them letters. Letter writing is a dying art. Between tweets, texts, and shot e-mails, many are losing the ability to communicate via paper, be it electronic, or pulp. Elle is another of those who has not lost the art of letter writing.
Not only does she write a beautiful letter, she wrote a beautiful and lyrical book. I frequently become frustrated at publishing houses whose primary interest is only putting before the public what sells. Well, of course, I realize money is what makes the world go around.
The point remains that books never reach the public for fear the subject matter won't sell. I've given a great deal of thought to Elle Thornton's novel. I've given a great deal of thought to what sells in the field of Y/A literature today. These are the conclusions I have have reached. John Green is a Y/A God. It seems to me that Y/A has become a genre of what's happening now. Is it new. Is it relevant? Don't get me wrong. I like Green. I like Jay Asher. Each of their subject matters needs to be addressed. However, issues raised in novels such as Elle Thornton's do as well.
Anyone who thinks racism in this country is dead is a fool. In some ways it has become more subtle. In other ways, it is treated as matters deserving of legislation. Are not strict immigration laws a form of racism? Aren't we scared of any person with a middle eastern appearance? And how politely we hide our heads on questions of gender identity.
Keeping the spirit of Emmett Till alive today remains as important as it was during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement. Don't think there are those who still have no need for Civil Rights.
I admire authors who throw themselves into a work, play by all the rules, go through the hoops of Publishing Houses and face rejection. I admire those who have the courage to edit and re-edit and publish their own works.
I have read many a book published by a major publishing house I didn't even shelve. However, it sold, by God. The Folks who put out the Fifty Shades trilogy should be real proud of themselves.
The Folks who turned down a thoughtful Y/A novel must not think today's kids are as smart as they are. Of course, our schools are all aflutter over testing scores. It the question ain't on the test, it doesn't need to be taught, right?
This is a book teachers should read. Particularly school librarians should read it. This is a book that should be on every junior high school and high school library shelf.
One last thought. If Hawkins is the man Emmett Till might have grown up to be, perhaps Gabriella Winter grew up to be Elle Thornton.
Soundtrack and References
Precious Lord Take My Hand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as1rsZ...
The Ballad of Emmett Till http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ_ZnG...
We Shall Over Come, Speech by MLK, Jr. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as1rsZ...
The Murder of Emmett Till, American Experience, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9E7aW...
The Untold Story of Emmett Till http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=r9E7aWLq30Y
Rosa Parks, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15p5HB...
The Greensboro Four http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbbcjn...
We Shall Overcome, Mahalia Jackson, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmR1Yv...
Update: May 20, 2013: also posted by the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emmett...
December 26, 2015
"I'm too old to be as ignorant as I am."
This one line perfectly describes the book.
I generally dislike YA, but this book is quite different from others I have read in the genre because it does not seek to make light of difficult topics and it does not pretend to have answers. In fact, it is very unpretentious in many ways. It's almost like the book was actually written with the purpose of telling a story to its readers, with the focus on imparting knowledge rather than on manipulating young readers with a gimmicky plot.
The Girl who Swam to Atlantis tells the story of Gebriella, aged 12, growing up in a Marine base in North Carolina. It's 1957 and Gabriella's world has been shaken up.
She returns home from boarding school to find her dad has moved into new quarters, her mum has gone, and while trying to make sense of it all, she inadvertently makes friends with a marine acting as a steward to the family.
The story is quite unusual in that it downplays the unusual friendship in favour of Gabriella's coming to terms with other aspects of life during the summer, like where has her mother gone and why did she leave? How can she persuade her father that she can look after herself and does not need to return to boarding school after the summer?
However, there is also another issue on her mind that has not left her since her history teacher mentioned it: the story of Emmett Till, who was murdered for (allegedly) whistling at the wife of white man in Mississippi in 1955.
The Girl who Swam to Atlantis tells history to a younger audience, and tells it well. It's story acknowledges that there are problems in this world that you cannot fix, some that take time, some that take determination, some that take guts. What is more, it tells a story which includes history that is not often mentioned in the story of the civil rights movement. It does not mention, Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King but introduces a story which is equally important but gets less media attention.
I genuinely loved this.
This one line perfectly describes the book.
I generally dislike YA, but this book is quite different from others I have read in the genre because it does not seek to make light of difficult topics and it does not pretend to have answers. In fact, it is very unpretentious in many ways. It's almost like the book was actually written with the purpose of telling a story to its readers, with the focus on imparting knowledge rather than on manipulating young readers with a gimmicky plot.
The Girl who Swam to Atlantis tells the story of Gebriella, aged 12, growing up in a Marine base in North Carolina. It's 1957 and Gabriella's world has been shaken up.
She returns home from boarding school to find her dad has moved into new quarters, her mum has gone, and while trying to make sense of it all, she inadvertently makes friends with a marine acting as a steward to the family.
The story is quite unusual in that it downplays the unusual friendship in favour of Gabriella's coming to terms with other aspects of life during the summer, like where has her mother gone and why did she leave? How can she persuade her father that she can look after herself and does not need to return to boarding school after the summer?
However, there is also another issue on her mind that has not left her since her history teacher mentioned it: the story of Emmett Till, who was murdered for (allegedly) whistling at the wife of white man in Mississippi in 1955.
The Girl who Swam to Atlantis tells history to a younger audience, and tells it well. It's story acknowledges that there are problems in this world that you cannot fix, some that take time, some that take determination, some that take guts. What is more, it tells a story which includes history that is not often mentioned in the story of the civil rights movement. It does not mention, Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King but introduces a story which is equally important but gets less media attention.
I genuinely loved this.
February 9, 2017
Autographed copy received from GR friend and moderator of the On the Southern Literary Trail discussion group, Mike "Lawyer Stevens" Sullivan. Thanks also to author Elle Thornton for graciously offering this copy of her novel.
This story is told from the point of view of Gabriella Winter, who lives on a military base with her father, whom she calls "the general." She wants to prove her worth to the general so that he will not send her back to boarding school, which she hates. One day she meets the mysterious Hawkins, a man who teaches her valuable lessons about facing her fears and insecurities.
The river which runs through this story is so important as to almost be a character in itself. It is the place where Gabriella meets friends, and it holds the promise of the fantastic realm of Atlantis. But it was also the scene of the brutal murder of Emmett Till, a promising and courageous youth. And the river also separates Gabriella from her absent mother.
This book reminded me quite a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird, in that it is told from the point of view of a child who, although wise, does not understand all the complexities of life. There is a father who is doing his best to raise his child single-handedly. There is even a feisty old woman with whom the narrator is brought into contact--although Eula Mae is kinder to Gabriella than Mrs. DuBose is to Scout.
Some of the recurring motifs, such as mermaids, were emphasized perhaps a touch too strongly for my taste. But on the whole, this novel is powerfully written and in many places it is lyrical and haunting. It pulls no punches about the painful aspects of life, such as racism, violence and broken families. But it also shows the joy of growing up in a place where one can be in touch with nature and enjoy simple pleasures.
This story is told from the point of view of Gabriella Winter, who lives on a military base with her father, whom she calls "the general." She wants to prove her worth to the general so that he will not send her back to boarding school, which she hates. One day she meets the mysterious Hawkins, a man who teaches her valuable lessons about facing her fears and insecurities.
The river which runs through this story is so important as to almost be a character in itself. It is the place where Gabriella meets friends, and it holds the promise of the fantastic realm of Atlantis. But it was also the scene of the brutal murder of Emmett Till, a promising and courageous youth. And the river also separates Gabriella from her absent mother.
This book reminded me quite a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird, in that it is told from the point of view of a child who, although wise, does not understand all the complexities of life. There is a father who is doing his best to raise his child single-handedly. There is even a feisty old woman with whom the narrator is brought into contact--although Eula Mae is kinder to Gabriella than Mrs. DuBose is to Scout.
Some of the recurring motifs, such as mermaids, were emphasized perhaps a touch too strongly for my taste. But on the whole, this novel is powerfully written and in many places it is lyrical and haunting. It pulls no punches about the painful aspects of life, such as racism, violence and broken families. But it also shows the joy of growing up in a place where one can be in touch with nature and enjoy simple pleasures.
May 27, 2013
...I ask him if he knows the name Emmett Till.
The general's eagle eyes latch onto mine. His beaky nose suddenly looks more sharp than usual. "How do you know that name?"
"Well, sir, our teacher told the class about Emmett. Many others know about him, too."
The general sets his knife and fork aside. "You are too young to learn about the brutality of the world. You are too young to even try to understand."
Every summer seems magical when you are a kid, and for 12-year-old Gabriella, the summer of 1957 promises to be unforgettable. Despite her anguish over her mysteriously missing mother and her emotionally absent father, this summer holds the thrilling possibility of first love. There are also new friendships; one with an elderly invalid woman who treats her more like a peer than a child, and the other, a young black marine who is teaching her how to swim.
And then there is the ghost of Emmett Till. Since learning of his brutal murder in school, he has become almost an imaginary friend for Gabriella. He stands by the river, brave and proud, encouraging her to do her best, and always, always keeping watch.
My classmates gasped when our teacher told us that one day Atlantis was swept into the ocean. We felt somewhat better when she said that beneath the sea the mysterious lost kingdom of Atlantis became a special place of beauty for souls who've grievously suffered. In Atlantis they are made whole again, she said.
As I practice swimming, I pretend that centuries ago the lost kingdom washed from the ocean into the river and that I'll find Atlantis before the summer is over. Emmett might be in Atlantis. If he is, I'll ask him to show me around.
The general's eagle eyes latch onto mine. His beaky nose suddenly looks more sharp than usual. "How do you know that name?"
"Well, sir, our teacher told the class about Emmett. Many others know about him, too."
The general sets his knife and fork aside. "You are too young to learn about the brutality of the world. You are too young to even try to understand."
Every summer seems magical when you are a kid, and for 12-year-old Gabriella, the summer of 1957 promises to be unforgettable. Despite her anguish over her mysteriously missing mother and her emotionally absent father, this summer holds the thrilling possibility of first love. There are also new friendships; one with an elderly invalid woman who treats her more like a peer than a child, and the other, a young black marine who is teaching her how to swim.
And then there is the ghost of Emmett Till. Since learning of his brutal murder in school, he has become almost an imaginary friend for Gabriella. He stands by the river, brave and proud, encouraging her to do her best, and always, always keeping watch.
My classmates gasped when our teacher told us that one day Atlantis was swept into the ocean. We felt somewhat better when she said that beneath the sea the mysterious lost kingdom of Atlantis became a special place of beauty for souls who've grievously suffered. In Atlantis they are made whole again, she said.
As I practice swimming, I pretend that centuries ago the lost kingdom washed from the ocean into the river and that I'll find Atlantis before the summer is over. Emmett might be in Atlantis. If he is, I'll ask him to show me around.
February 9, 2014
This is a well written, powerful debut novel that echos the theme and texture of To Kill A Mockingbird. In Harper Lee's classic, we see and hear the story from Scout's point-of-view. In Elle Thornton's novel, the storyteller is Gabriella, a twelve-year-old girl growing up in the late fifties on a North Carolina military base. The coming of age story weaves Gabriella's efforts to earn her father's pride, a man she refers to as the General. If she can win a swimming competition just maybe the General won't ship her away to boarding school. An African-American cook in her home becomes a lifeguard and life-coach as he teaches Gabriella how to become a better swimmer, and a better person. She trains in the river, a magical place where life's journeys flow. The surface of the river reflects the metaphoric story of the murder of Emmett Till, an African-American teenager whose body was tossed into Mississippi's Tallahatchie River, but it's in the depth of the river where the chilling currents of life are felt in Gabriella's pores. And it's here where Atlantis becomes a destination of the heart.
July 2, 2013
This coming of age novel set on a southern Marine base in 1957, uses the recent murder of Emmett Till and its effect on the developing mind and emotions of a 12 year old white girl to build a picture of a family and a society coming to grips with race. When Gabriella returns to her new home, on a new base, with this new knowledge, it affects how she interacts with all she meets that summer, especially Hawkins, her father's black steward, a highly decorated Marine from the Korean War.
Gabriella is also a girl on the cusp of her teenage years, a girl whose mother is mysteriously "away". Where, she doesn't know---she just wants to find her, make her better and bring her home.
Her inner thoughts propel the book; her interactions are not always what you would expect. This is a good reading experience for adults and young adults. I predict that the young adults may have some questions for their elders after reading it.
I was provided a copy of this novel by the author without commitment.
Gabriella is also a girl on the cusp of her teenage years, a girl whose mother is mysteriously "away". Where, she doesn't know---she just wants to find her, make her better and bring her home.
Her inner thoughts propel the book; her interactions are not always what you would expect. This is a good reading experience for adults and young adults. I predict that the young adults may have some questions for their elders after reading it.
I was provided a copy of this novel by the author without commitment.
September 23, 2013
This book is a fantastically powerful and emotional read. It goes to the heart and
deals with difficult topics like racism, prosecution, and freedom. It's
about a young very pretty White girl named Gabriella who becomes friends with an
older Black Marine she calls Hawkins.
Despite the differences between their cultures and their families, they become friends. As they spend time together it becomes clear that even the river they both love and share is a symbol of the distance between them that society has placed.
This is a great read to provide an appreciation for how much effort that has already
been made... and how much more needs to be made, so that we can live with all races
in harmony. This book made me think, and it made me feel. I highly urge you to read it
and fully recommend it.
I received this book for free by participating in Goodreads First reads and I am so grateful for the experience of being able to enjoy and review this book. I hope many others will love this book as much as I did!
deals with difficult topics like racism, prosecution, and freedom. It's
about a young very pretty White girl named Gabriella who becomes friends with an
older Black Marine she calls Hawkins.
Despite the differences between their cultures and their families, they become friends. As they spend time together it becomes clear that even the river they both love and share is a symbol of the distance between them that society has placed.
This is a great read to provide an appreciation for how much effort that has already
been made... and how much more needs to be made, so that we can live with all races
in harmony. This book made me think, and it made me feel. I highly urge you to read it
and fully recommend it.
I received this book for free by participating in Goodreads First reads and I am so grateful for the experience of being able to enjoy and review this book. I hope many others will love this book as much as I did!
April 8, 2012
This is a lovely, gentle story about a young girl coming of age on a Marine base in North Carolina in the late 50s. The author uses beautiful word pictures to punctuate her story. "...the sun drops behind the horizon like an orange slipping from a child's hand." How's that for painting a scene?
This is a Y-A novel that can be read and discussed by the entire family. There are lessons to learn here and historical incidents that need to be remembered. I see hours of discussions with your young ones on what was and what is yet to be.
Kudos for a fine first novel.
This is a Y-A novel that can be read and discussed by the entire family. There are lessons to learn here and historical incidents that need to be remembered. I see hours of discussions with your young ones on what was and what is yet to be.
Kudos for a fine first novel.
August 1, 2012
Fear can be the current that threatens to pull you under or simply a challenge to test us and be overcome…
Elle Thornton’s debut novel reintroduces us to an important time in America where the seeds of social transition were beginning to sprout. It happens that our 12 year-old main character, Gabriella is also in the early stages of her own important transition. Gabriella begins the story a child but with the help of caring mentors and her own inquisitive nature, she may learn to see beyond herself and her fears to truly know how to love and embrace compassion. It’s this racially charged atmosphere of the 1950s and the tragic death of a young boy that test Gabriella’s courage. She will either stand against this society’s nefarious elements, who threaten to tear her from those she cares for, or be swept away by the fear of their bigotry and hate.
What I appreciate most is Thornton’s dedication to doing the research needed to make this story a quality work of historical fiction. The detail of that ground work is evident in the dialogue and throughout the plot. She accurately depicts a military struggling to set new standards for integration in a way that credits the actions of brave men rather than simply checking it off to social experimentation as some historians would have us believe. Thornton puts a human face and feelings behind the norms of a time that separated people of differing races and clearly articulates the danger faced by those who would entertain ideas of change and equality.
The writing is very good and the editing is also exceptional. She clearly defines her characters and does an amazing job developing her primary cast in very few pages. This is a story that will pull you in emotionally and dare you to pause for even a moment. The plot is driven by her character’s desperate search for the love that seems just out of reach and the fear of daring to embrace change and transition. Thornton has written a story with people you will care about and their story drives you to read on in one sitting.
My only complaint is that the very end seemed either a bit rushed or too edited, which could perhaps have been remedied with a few more pages. Still, this is the very kind of story fit for the big screen and one with a timeless and important message of sacrifice, love and courage and easily worthy of a 4.7 star rating. Though it’s listed as a YA, I’d certainly encourage adults to give this a read as well.
Elle Thornton’s debut novel reintroduces us to an important time in America where the seeds of social transition were beginning to sprout. It happens that our 12 year-old main character, Gabriella is also in the early stages of her own important transition. Gabriella begins the story a child but with the help of caring mentors and her own inquisitive nature, she may learn to see beyond herself and her fears to truly know how to love and embrace compassion. It’s this racially charged atmosphere of the 1950s and the tragic death of a young boy that test Gabriella’s courage. She will either stand against this society’s nefarious elements, who threaten to tear her from those she cares for, or be swept away by the fear of their bigotry and hate.
What I appreciate most is Thornton’s dedication to doing the research needed to make this story a quality work of historical fiction. The detail of that ground work is evident in the dialogue and throughout the plot. She accurately depicts a military struggling to set new standards for integration in a way that credits the actions of brave men rather than simply checking it off to social experimentation as some historians would have us believe. Thornton puts a human face and feelings behind the norms of a time that separated people of differing races and clearly articulates the danger faced by those who would entertain ideas of change and equality.
The writing is very good and the editing is also exceptional. She clearly defines her characters and does an amazing job developing her primary cast in very few pages. This is a story that will pull you in emotionally and dare you to pause for even a moment. The plot is driven by her character’s desperate search for the love that seems just out of reach and the fear of daring to embrace change and transition. Thornton has written a story with people you will care about and their story drives you to read on in one sitting.
My only complaint is that the very end seemed either a bit rushed or too edited, which could perhaps have been remedied with a few more pages. Still, this is the very kind of story fit for the big screen and one with a timeless and important message of sacrifice, love and courage and easily worthy of a 4.7 star rating. Though it’s listed as a YA, I’d certainly encourage adults to give this a read as well.
April 26, 2013
With all of the "boy meets girl" and fantasy YA books out there, it is always refreshing to find a book that deals with a more serious issue. The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thorntonis just such a book. Gabrielle Winter is 13, and like many 13-year-olds, she is not sure of her place in the world. Complicating matters is the fact that Gabrielle is spending the summer at an Army base in North Caroline where her father, a general, is stationed. It is the summer of 1957 and racial tensions in the area are high.
This book was an excellent, easy read. Elle Thorton does an great job of capturing the angst of a 13-year-old trying to define who they are in the world. In the character of Gabrielle, she balances just the right amount of insecurity and exploration. For me,though, it was Gabrielle's naivete of the racial tensions that were prevalent in the South at this time that was the best part of her character. I really liked the way that Ms. Thorton used that naivete to explore the issue of race relations in the 1950s South. I thought that this exploration was done with thoughtfulness and care, exhibiting a good balance of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that the author did not go into enough depth on the subject. I am aware that the target audience for this book is the middle school crowd, of which I am not a member, but even so, I felt that Ms. Thorton could have fleshed the subject out just a bit more. As it is, she touches on many subjects that will hopefully entice the young minds to explore the subject further, and that is a plus with me. I would class this book as an excellent read for the 11 - 14 age crowd. In addition, I would suggest that parents read along with their middle schoolers and perhaps use this book as a jumping off point for discussion. As such, I think this book is an excellent choice and am giving it 4 stars
This book was an excellent, easy read. Elle Thorton does an great job of capturing the angst of a 13-year-old trying to define who they are in the world. In the character of Gabrielle, she balances just the right amount of insecurity and exploration. For me,though, it was Gabrielle's naivete of the racial tensions that were prevalent in the South at this time that was the best part of her character. I really liked the way that Ms. Thorton used that naivete to explore the issue of race relations in the 1950s South. I thought that this exploration was done with thoughtfulness and care, exhibiting a good balance of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that the author did not go into enough depth on the subject. I am aware that the target audience for this book is the middle school crowd, of which I am not a member, but even so, I felt that Ms. Thorton could have fleshed the subject out just a bit more. As it is, she touches on many subjects that will hopefully entice the young minds to explore the subject further, and that is a plus with me. I would class this book as an excellent read for the 11 - 14 age crowd. In addition, I would suggest that parents read along with their middle schoolers and perhaps use this book as a jumping off point for discussion. As such, I think this book is an excellent choice and am giving it 4 stars
November 24, 2014
The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thornton is a touching and powerful story on many levels. Though considered to be intended for Young Adults, its appeal is far greater, and should be read by adults as well, similarly to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. As with that book, racial prejudice is a central theme, along with the coming of age of a young white girl in the South in the 1950's.
I read several earlier reviews of the book, and was surprised that none of them mentioned an element that touched me deeply, that of Gabriella's friendship with an elderly, bedridden neighbor, Eula Mae, who imparts much needed wisdom and motherly advice that Gabriella needs so deserately in the mysterious absence of her mother. Add to that Eula Mae's colonel son who harbors deep negative feelings of prejudice toward Blacks and tries to hide his mother's childhood friendship with a young Black boy named Jonas.
Another touching friendship of Gabriella's is with a neighbor boy named Doyle who plays the guitar and sings the music of colored musicians, introducing her to a new world she never knew existed. And all the while Gabriella is pondering thoughts about the fourteen year old Emmett Till, killed so tragically by two white men for innocently whistling at a white woman. Her teacher had told her Emmet's story in school.
The nearby river is another central focus, which draws Gabriella with a mysterious longing. She wants to learn to swim well to impress her seemingly impassive father, as she is also drawn there in her imaginings about the legendary city of Atlantis, where she imagines Emmett is living happily. And the mansion she can see across the river holds secrets she longs to unlock. This book is a treasure trove of ideas for teachers' use as a novel study, and fuel for discussions. As a retired English teacher myself, I wish I had had this book for use with my students. I highly recommend it for that purpose. Jane Nixon White, author of The Taming of Corky
I read several earlier reviews of the book, and was surprised that none of them mentioned an element that touched me deeply, that of Gabriella's friendship with an elderly, bedridden neighbor, Eula Mae, who imparts much needed wisdom and motherly advice that Gabriella needs so deserately in the mysterious absence of her mother. Add to that Eula Mae's colonel son who harbors deep negative feelings of prejudice toward Blacks and tries to hide his mother's childhood friendship with a young Black boy named Jonas.
Another touching friendship of Gabriella's is with a neighbor boy named Doyle who plays the guitar and sings the music of colored musicians, introducing her to a new world she never knew existed. And all the while Gabriella is pondering thoughts about the fourteen year old Emmett Till, killed so tragically by two white men for innocently whistling at a white woman. Her teacher had told her Emmet's story in school.
The nearby river is another central focus, which draws Gabriella with a mysterious longing. She wants to learn to swim well to impress her seemingly impassive father, as she is also drawn there in her imaginings about the legendary city of Atlantis, where she imagines Emmett is living happily. And the mansion she can see across the river holds secrets she longs to unlock. This book is a treasure trove of ideas for teachers' use as a novel study, and fuel for discussions. As a retired English teacher myself, I wish I had had this book for use with my students. I highly recommend it for that purpose. Jane Nixon White, author of The Taming of Corky
June 8, 2012
A very thoughtful coming of age book written for that audience (preteen to young teens). The writing is superb and I really felt I was in Gabriella's head with some of the "magical" thinking of the littlest things will solve life's biggest problems. This book was not over the top, at all. Racial references were written very tastefully.
I must admit that I have come across some very tastefully written books on very important subjects in the YA genre and that makes me feel good when so many of the books coming out are on vampires, witches and stuff like that. This book was a breath of fresh air to make teens think about the past and vicious moments in our history.
I must admit that I had to keep in mind that this book was written for the preteen-early teen audience. I would have liked to have see more detail on the death of Emmett Till, since the book was dedicated to him and frequently referred to him "in the shadows of the event" that was his death. I think this could have been accomplished have been accomplished by even a short prologue into who he was and why he died such an ugly death. However, even I must admit that this is a fine line, had she have gone too graphic, I would have been ripping her apart in this review for portraying too much violence with our children.
I must admit that I have come across some very tastefully written books on very important subjects in the YA genre and that makes me feel good when so many of the books coming out are on vampires, witches and stuff like that. This book was a breath of fresh air to make teens think about the past and vicious moments in our history.
I must admit that I had to keep in mind that this book was written for the preteen-early teen audience. I would have liked to have see more detail on the death of Emmett Till, since the book was dedicated to him and frequently referred to him "in the shadows of the event" that was his death. I think this could have been accomplished have been accomplished by even a short prologue into who he was and why he died such an ugly death. However, even I must admit that this is a fine line, had she have gone too graphic, I would have been ripping her apart in this review for portraying too much violence with our children.
June 30, 2012
In this tender, coming-of-age tale about true friendship, a young girl grapples with a missing mother, a distant father, and the harsh realities of racism. Set in the rural south of 1957, the story had the poignancy of "Because of Winn Dixie" and a touch of "To Kill a Mockingbird." But Thornton’s finely spun masterpiece is all her own. The prose was exquisite and evocative, capturing Gabriella's outer and inner world. The characters were sharply drawn with a deft hand. In fact, this was one of those rare books that hook you in largely on the power of the characters. The main players were full and round, the minor characters provided just the right support for the unfolding events.
Thornton kept the tale squarely where it should be: On Gabriella. All the yearnings of a girl on the verge of womanhood are rendered, but most especially, yearnings of the heart. By allowing the story to mirror reality, the tale became universal, holding higher truths about the bigness of life.
Most of all, this haunting, unforgettable tale did what all great stories do: It pulled on my heartstrings.
Thornton kept the tale squarely where it should be: On Gabriella. All the yearnings of a girl on the verge of womanhood are rendered, but most especially, yearnings of the heart. By allowing the story to mirror reality, the tale became universal, holding higher truths about the bigness of life.
Most of all, this haunting, unforgettable tale did what all great stories do: It pulled on my heartstrings.
August 17, 2012
Goodreads Description- Nearly everything important in twelve-year-old Gabriella’s life that summer of 1957 can be traced to the river. On the North Carolina military base where she lives, she meets the African-American Marine Hawkins by the river’s brown-green water. When her father, the General, treats her as if she doesn’t exist, Gabriella’s determined to show him she’s good at something: she’ll learn to swim. And it’s the river with its mysterious worlds that leads to her mother.
At the river, Gabriella discovers Hawkins is far more than a servant in the kitchen of her father’s quarters. He becomes her swim coach and a person she can talk with—even about the tragedy of the youth Emmett Till. The fourteen-year-old was lynched two years earlier, his body thrown into Mississippi’s Tallahatchie river.
Emmett had been murdered for whistling at a white woman. Could her friendship with Hawkins endanger the tough Marine? It doesn’t seem possible. Until a sudden storm on the river changes Gabriella’s life—forever.
This is a great coming of age young adult novel set in the 1950's South, where relationships between black and white were tenuous at best. Gabriella, the main character, doesn't want to be sent back to boarding school and is determined to show her father, whom she calls the General, that she can excel at something. Gabriella decides that something will be swimming. She visits the nearby river daily, and with the help of her father's African American steward and fellow Marine, Hawkins, Gabriella meets her goal. However, along the way Hawkins has become much more than a steward and coach, he has become her friend and by this friendship she realizes that others definitely have a lesser opinion of Hawkins than she.
Winding in this story is the story of Emmett Tills, a young African Americna who was killed by 2 white men for whistling at a white woman. This is a historically accurate fact and would loved to have learned more about him, but upon thinking about the genre, I realized than anything more than the basic telling of the story would be too much for the pre-teen/teen audience that this is written for.
This is a refreshing change in YA writing. I simply cannot stand the recent trend of vampirism and/or fantasy in YA and this is a wonderful example of a YA story that teaches an important moral lesson about race relations set in a historical backdrop with just a touch of magical thinking. I can easily see this book become a standard for teachers to use in 7th through 9th grade literature class.
On a quick much lesser note...I love the descriptions in the beginning when Hawkins is teaching Gabriella to swim freestyle. As a former swimmer, lifeguard, and swim coach, the author does an excellent job describing the exact specifics of the stroke. I was impressed that she was able to put it into words so perfectly! It seems clear that she does have a decent swimming background.
I do recommend this book and would definitely encourage even my 4th grader to read this book as an introduction into good historical fiction written for a lower level YA. 4 stars!
At the river, Gabriella discovers Hawkins is far more than a servant in the kitchen of her father’s quarters. He becomes her swim coach and a person she can talk with—even about the tragedy of the youth Emmett Till. The fourteen-year-old was lynched two years earlier, his body thrown into Mississippi’s Tallahatchie river.
Emmett had been murdered for whistling at a white woman. Could her friendship with Hawkins endanger the tough Marine? It doesn’t seem possible. Until a sudden storm on the river changes Gabriella’s life—forever.
This is a great coming of age young adult novel set in the 1950's South, where relationships between black and white were tenuous at best. Gabriella, the main character, doesn't want to be sent back to boarding school and is determined to show her father, whom she calls the General, that she can excel at something. Gabriella decides that something will be swimming. She visits the nearby river daily, and with the help of her father's African American steward and fellow Marine, Hawkins, Gabriella meets her goal. However, along the way Hawkins has become much more than a steward and coach, he has become her friend and by this friendship she realizes that others definitely have a lesser opinion of Hawkins than she.
Winding in this story is the story of Emmett Tills, a young African Americna who was killed by 2 white men for whistling at a white woman. This is a historically accurate fact and would loved to have learned more about him, but upon thinking about the genre, I realized than anything more than the basic telling of the story would be too much for the pre-teen/teen audience that this is written for.
This is a refreshing change in YA writing. I simply cannot stand the recent trend of vampirism and/or fantasy in YA and this is a wonderful example of a YA story that teaches an important moral lesson about race relations set in a historical backdrop with just a touch of magical thinking. I can easily see this book become a standard for teachers to use in 7th through 9th grade literature class.
On a quick much lesser note...I love the descriptions in the beginning when Hawkins is teaching Gabriella to swim freestyle. As a former swimmer, lifeguard, and swim coach, the author does an excellent job describing the exact specifics of the stroke. I was impressed that she was able to put it into words so perfectly! It seems clear that she does have a decent swimming background.
I do recommend this book and would definitely encourage even my 4th grader to read this book as an introduction into good historical fiction written for a lower level YA. 4 stars!
June 4, 2013
This was a GR author giveaway win for me through the SLT book group, and I am grateful to the author for generously shipping her book to me in the Uk. It's actually very difficult for me to rate this one, as I am clearly at the opposite pole to it's target market ( which I assume to be young teen girls). It is a gentle coming of age tale of a young girl (Gabriella) who lives on a North Carolina military base with her father, in 1957. To her father she is a child, yet she finds herself on the verge of adulthood/womanhood, being exposed for the first time to adult themes such as love, misconception, and racial prejudice. It's tenderly handled throughout by the author, her clean prose hinting at the complex issues underlying many of Gabriella's simple actions.
I assume it's a deliberately short and uncluttered read, to retain the attention of younger readers, yet the story harbours a great premise, which if fully fleshed out for a maturer market, could make a thought-provoking, tension-filled and tender novel.
Racial injustice and prejudice are central themes here, and I can't help wondering if that's a subject that the target demographic would be less drawn to than say more escapist/ fantasy genre reads. If so, then that's a shame as young minds should be aware of the racial injustices of the past, and remember people like Emmett Till, and the part his untimely death played in the civil rights movement.
Once again thanks Elle for shipping me the book. I'll be sure to pass it on to my niece for her comment.
I assume it's a deliberately short and uncluttered read, to retain the attention of younger readers, yet the story harbours a great premise, which if fully fleshed out for a maturer market, could make a thought-provoking, tension-filled and tender novel.
Racial injustice and prejudice are central themes here, and I can't help wondering if that's a subject that the target demographic would be less drawn to than say more escapist/ fantasy genre reads. If so, then that's a shame as young minds should be aware of the racial injustices of the past, and remember people like Emmett Till, and the part his untimely death played in the civil rights movement.
Once again thanks Elle for shipping me the book. I'll be sure to pass it on to my niece for her comment.
February 22, 2014
Literary Fiction at its Best! A Page Turner.
I started reading this novel at 9:15 p.m. after a long and weary day. By the third page, I was jumping out of my chair and rushing to track down the author. I'd met her briefly at a writers conference a few months earlier, so I hoped she didn't think I was crazy contacting her late and night to tell her this: "Elle Thornton, your story sings! It's magical and lyrical, and I wish I'd written it."
I am a slow reader, but this is a fast read.
The daughter of a Marine officer, Elle Thornton won the 2013 Bronze Medal for Historical Fiction from Military Writers Society of America. In my mind, this book should have won GOLD! Yes, it's that GOOD.
It takes a skillful writer to weave together the real-life-murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till (for whistling at a white woman) with the fictional story of twelve-year-old Gabriella Winter, the daughter of a Marine general who commands the fighter base where they live in South Carolina two years after the famous murder. The topic of integration in the military and racism is handled so well as is the base setting, complete with fighter jets flying overhead, the Officer's Club swimming pool, and a blue-green river that calls to Gabriella that summer of 1957.
This is one of the best novels I've read in years. Even though it's categorized as young adult, I highly recommend it for any age. You won't be disappointed.
Kathleen M. Rodgers ~ author of The Final Salute
I started reading this novel at 9:15 p.m. after a long and weary day. By the third page, I was jumping out of my chair and rushing to track down the author. I'd met her briefly at a writers conference a few months earlier, so I hoped she didn't think I was crazy contacting her late and night to tell her this: "Elle Thornton, your story sings! It's magical and lyrical, and I wish I'd written it."
I am a slow reader, but this is a fast read.
The daughter of a Marine officer, Elle Thornton won the 2013 Bronze Medal for Historical Fiction from Military Writers Society of America. In my mind, this book should have won GOLD! Yes, it's that GOOD.
It takes a skillful writer to weave together the real-life-murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till (for whistling at a white woman) with the fictional story of twelve-year-old Gabriella Winter, the daughter of a Marine general who commands the fighter base where they live in South Carolina two years after the famous murder. The topic of integration in the military and racism is handled so well as is the base setting, complete with fighter jets flying overhead, the Officer's Club swimming pool, and a blue-green river that calls to Gabriella that summer of 1957.
This is one of the best novels I've read in years. Even though it's categorized as young adult, I highly recommend it for any age. You won't be disappointed.
Kathleen M. Rodgers ~ author of The Final Salute
November 5, 2012
I liked this novel a great deal, although I thought it could be subtantially expanded to improve the depth of character development. The story is effectively told from the perspective of the young girl who is the central protagonist. Still, I would like to have learned more of her parents and other aspects of the "backstory" that enabled the girl to be so open and unprejudiced in an era with so much racial turmoil. Perhaps that is accounted for merely by the innocence of youth, but that might be more credible today than it would have been more than fifty years ago. Perhaps bringing out something in the father's military career or her mother's sensitive nature might have strengthened the impact of the story.
The above said, the texture of the narrative is evocative and makes for a satisfying read. The girl's relationships with her peers, elders of varying outlooks and backgrounds and especially the living and dead male objects of her concern and attraction across racial lines are delicately brought to life. The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis is a worthy read from an author whose further development you may wish to follow.
The above said, the texture of the narrative is evocative and makes for a satisfying read. The girl's relationships with her peers, elders of varying outlooks and backgrounds and especially the living and dead male objects of her concern and attraction across racial lines are delicately brought to life. The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis is a worthy read from an author whose further development you may wish to follow.
September 30, 2013
A Quiet Novel with Undercurrents
Thornton takes on bigotry, racism, and ignorance with her elegantly written coming of age novel. The setting is the American South in the late 1950s. The main character, Gabriella Winter, daughter of a Marine Corps General, learns to swim with the help of the General's aid, also a Marine but of a different race.
Through well developed main characters and a poignant reminder of the attitudes of those years projected through the behaviors of the minor characters, Thornton brings the reader back to a time when equality among citizens was nonexistent. The novel's description suggests a military family experience is one of the main themes. Though Gabriella lives on the Rock Point base, the main themes in the story go deeper.
Young Gabriella is a compassionate thinking person who's world view isn't tainted by color or prejudice. This story is about relationships and overcoming obstacles. It is a quick read that left me with a warm feeling.
Thornton takes on bigotry, racism, and ignorance with her elegantly written coming of age novel. The setting is the American South in the late 1950s. The main character, Gabriella Winter, daughter of a Marine Corps General, learns to swim with the help of the General's aid, also a Marine but of a different race.
Through well developed main characters and a poignant reminder of the attitudes of those years projected through the behaviors of the minor characters, Thornton brings the reader back to a time when equality among citizens was nonexistent. The novel's description suggests a military family experience is one of the main themes. Though Gabriella lives on the Rock Point base, the main themes in the story go deeper.
Young Gabriella is a compassionate thinking person who's world view isn't tainted by color or prejudice. This story is about relationships and overcoming obstacles. It is a quick read that left me with a warm feeling.
May 26, 2012
This is an excellent story about a teenage girl coming of age at a Marine Corps base in North Carolina during the late 1950s. The Corps has become desegregated during the Korean War but there are still racists in it although the majority are seeing "Marine Corps green" as the only color that matters. Gabriella Winters has just joined her father, the general, after a year away at a boarding school while her mother is institutionalized. Her dad's marine orderly teachs her about friendship and not giving. There are some bigoted sterotypes in the story including the sheriff who looks for an eexcuse to hassle blacks. Once I started reading, I couldn't put Ms Thorton's novel down as things were very similar to what I observed in the South during the 1970s as a young white Marine. Free copy for review purposes.
May 15, 2012
I love this book! A young girl grows up on a military base in North Carolina in the racially charged 1950s, struggling to prove herself to her father, the General, and to find out what happened to her mother. She makes friends by following her heart, without regard to race or age. The more I learned about Gabriella the more I liked her. She follows the magic of the river, which is also the magic of herself, as she tries to make sense of the world. This whole story is magic. I should have said this earlier: this book is beautifully written. I intend to read it again. You owe it to yourself to read it at least once.
May 15, 2012
I received this book as a first read. Lets just say, I am so glad that I did. This novel was so heartfelt that I transported to the 1950s. I was Gabriella, a child wise and bright beyond her 12 years on this earth. Gabriella befriended those that people ignored or not look a two. She is a child who looks at a person and not seeing the color of their skin the age on their face but the character that grows within them. At the end I think Gabriella found who she truly was and what she truly wanted. This is one of those books that you can just see as a classic years down the road.
July 22, 2012
I really liked this book. It was a wonderful coming of age novel with some lovely characters. If there was anything negative, I would say there were a few instances that I felt the author rushed. I would have liked a little more padding on the final dramatic scene between Gabriella and Hawkins, but other than that it was very well written.
For a debut novel, I think Elle Thornton hit a home run for a Middle Grade/YA novel. I will definitely be looking out for more by this new author.
For a debut novel, I think Elle Thornton hit a home run for a Middle Grade/YA novel. I will definitely be looking out for more by this new author.
July 28, 2012
Kindle freebee: Rather a sweet story about a girl in a small southern town where racial prejudice is rampant. One reviewer compared the book to "To Kill a Mockingbird" and it does have a similar message. Gabriella tries to take a stand to prejudice after she meets Hawkins, a part time cook her father hires. Unexpected and welcome literary excellence for a free Kindle book.
June 30, 2012
This was a beautifully written first novel and I am certain we will see more from Elle Thornton. The prose is musical and the setting extremely realistic. She used the river as a touchstone to not only bring the story together but to weave a magic tale around her characters. This is a YA story that even adults will enjoy. Kudos to Ms. Thornton
November 1, 2012
i really enjoyed reading this book. the story was well written and descriptive. it was very sad but depicted the 1950s and how it was to be colored and white. I loved Emmette in this story and what he represented. over all a very enjoyable read
October 28, 2012
After reading the first few pages, I wasn't sure, but I ended up really liking this. It's a short book, too, so I was able to start it yesterday and finish it today! I loved the analogy of having dead people end up in Atlantis.
July 25, 2012
Loved this story and wish it had been longer!
August 8, 2012
Poignant
August 18, 2012
This sweet story of a girl coming of age in the late 1950's is a great read.
September 5, 2012
This turned out to be a "young adult" novel, and it is excellent. It deasls with race relations in the 50s, a period of time I lived through.
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